Donald Ramphadi

Last updated

Donald Ramphadi
Donald Ramphadi 2024 (cropped).jpg
Ramphadi in 2024
Country (sports)Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Residence Pretoria, South Africa
Born (1993-06-10) 10 June 1993 (age 31)
Mogapeng, South Africa
College University of South Africa
Singles
Career record160100 [1]
Highest rankingNo. 3 (17 July 2023) [1]
Current rankingNo. 6 (26 August 2024) [1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open SF (2023, 2024)
French Open SF (2024)
Wimbledon SF (2023)
US Open SF (2022)
Other tournaments
Paralympic Games R16 (2024)
Doubles
Career record9685 [2]
Highest rankingNo. 3 (22 January 2024) [2]
Current rankingNo. 8 (26 August 2024) [2]
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open F (2023, 2024)
French Open W (2023)
Wimbledon SF (2022, 2023, 2024)
US Open F (2023)
Other doubles tournaments
Paralympic Games SF (2024)
Medal record
Men's wheelchair tennis
Representing Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Paralympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2024 Paris Quad doubles

Donald Ramphadi (born 10 June 1993), [3] nicknamed Dona, [3] is a South African wheelchair tennis player who plays in the sport's quad division. Ramphadi, alongside partner Andy Lapthorne, is the 2023 French Open quad wheelchair doubles champion. [4] Ramphadi has also been the runner-up in numerous quad wheelchair doubles grand slam events, with frequent partners including Lapthorne, Lucas Sithole, and Koji Sugeno. [5] Ramphadi and Sithole won bronze in the quad doubles wheelchair tennis event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which was the African continent's first-ever wheelchair tennis medal. [6]

Contents

Tennis career

Ramphadi first started playing tennis in 2009 while studying at Letaba Special School in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, and originally thought tennis was "a white people sport" but ended up falling in love with the game. [4] He was cleared to compete in the quad division of wheelchair tennis in 2018. [4]

Ramphadi has participated in several Grand Slams' quad wheelchair divisions in both singles and doubles. Ramphadi and his partner Andy Lapthorne claimed the 2023 French Open quad wheelchair doubles title at Roland-Garros, winning the final match on Ramphadi's birthday while he played in a secondhand wheelchair. [4]

Ramphadi (left) and Lucas Sithole in their semifinal match at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Wheelchair tennis at the 2024 Summer Paralympics - Quad Doubles Semi-final Schroder - Vink vs Ramphadi - Sithole - 09.jpg
Ramphadi (left) and Lucas Sithole in their semifinal match at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Ramphadi and partner Lucas Sithole made it to the semifinals of the 2024 Paralympics' quad doubles wheelchair tennis event, losing to 2020 gold medalists Sam Schröder and Niels Vink. [7] Ramphadi and Sithole then defeated the Brazilian pair of Ymanitu Silva (one of Ramphadi's previous partners) [8] and Leandro Pena to win the event's bronze medal, which was South Africa's fourth medal of the 2024 Games and the first-ever wheelchair tennis medal won by an African country. [6]

Ramphadi has noted his desire to encourage more young Black South Africans to pick up tennis, saying, "Now that I am a grand slam champion, just to change the way that young kids are thinking at home is the aim." [4]

Personal life

Ramphadi was born in Mogapeng, a village in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa. [8] [9] He was fully able-bodied until the age of 12, when he developed osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as brittle bone disease. His mobility decreased until he almost could not walk, though it began to partly increase after his mother suggested he begin walking with a cane she had collected in a local forest. [10] Ramphadi attended the University of South Africa. He now lives in Pretoria and is a father to one son. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheelchair tennis</span> Tennis variation for people with disabilities

Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for wheelchair users. The size of the court, net height and rackets are the same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis: athletes use specially designed wheelchairs, and the ball may bounce up to two times, where the second bounce may also occur outside the court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wagner (tennis)</span> American wheelchair tennis player

David Wagner is an American wheelchair tennis player. Paralyzed from the mid-chest down and with thirty percent function in his hands, he competes in the quad division. He plays by taping the tennis racket to his hand. He is currently ranked number three in the world in singles and number two in doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stéphane Houdet</span> French wheelchair tennis player (born 1970)

Stéphane Houdet is a French wheelchair tennis player. Houdet is a former singles and doubles world number one. In 2014, he became the first man in history to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam in men's wheelchair doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiske Griffioen</span> Dutch wheelchair tennis player

Jiske Griffioen is a Dutch professional wheelchair tennis player. Griffioen is a 20-time major champion, Paralympic gold medalist, seven-time Masters champion, and a former world No. 1. Alongside Aniek van Koot, Griffioen completed the Grand Slam in doubles in 2013. In singles, Griffioen is a three-time Masters champion, Paralympic gold medalist, four-time major champion, and a former world No. 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Walraven</span> Dutch wheelchair tennis player

Sharon Walraven is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player. She became paraplegic at age 23 after complications following a fall while she was ice-skating. She has won seven Grand Slams doubles titles partnering compatriot Esther Vergeer. At the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing she won the gold medal in the women's doubles competition. At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney she won a silver medal in the women's singles competition. Walraven has a highest ranking of No.2 in singles and No.1 in doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Lapthorne</span> British wheelchair tennis player

Andrew David Lapthorne is a British wheelchair tennis player. He took up wheelchair tennis in 2005, and entered the quad division in 2008. He is active in both singles and doubles tournaments, and has 17 grand slam titles in singles and doubles. He competed at his first Summer Paralympics at London 2012 in the quad singles and in the quad doubles, in which he won a silver medal and is now a four-time Paralympic medallist and British no.1 Quad tennis player, who started playing wheelchair tennis at the age of 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aniek van Koot</span> Dutch wheelchair tennis player

Aniek van Koot is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kgothatso Montjane</span> South African wheelchair tennis player

Kgothatso Montjane is a South African wheelchair tennis player. In 2024, she became the first black South African woman to win at Wimbledon when she won the wheelchair women's doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yui Kamiji</span> Japanese wheelchair tennis player

Yui Kamiji is a Japanese professional wheelchair tennis player. She has won 28 major titles, as well as a Paralympic silver and bronze medal in singles and doubles, respectively, at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She would later win gold in both at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. She also won a bronze medal in singles at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niels Vink</span> Dutch wheelchair tennis player

Niels Vink is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player.

Sam Schröder and Niels Vink defeated the two-time defending champion Dylan Alcott and his partner Heath Davidson in the final, 6–3, 6–2 to win the quad doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2021 US Open.

Sam Schröder and Niels Vink defeated the defending champions Andy Lapthorne and David Wagner in the final, 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–3 to win the quad doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

Sam Schröder and Niels Vink defeated Donald Ramphadi and Ymanitu Silva in the final, 6–1, 6–3 to win the quad doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2023 Australian Open. With the win, Schröder and Vink completed both a non-calendar-year Grand Slam and the career Super Slam in wheelchair quad doubles.

Two-time defending champions Sam Schröder and Niels Vink defeated Andy Lapthorne and Donald Ramphadi in the final, 6–1, 6–2 to win the quad doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2023 US Open.

Andy Lapthorne and David Wagner defeated Donald Ramphadi and Guy Sasson in the final, 6–4, 3–6, [10–2] to win the quad doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2024 Australian Open.

Sam Schröder and Niels Vink defeated defending champion Andy Lapthorne and his partner Guy Sasson in the final, 7–6(11–9), 6–1 to win the quad doubles wheelchair tennis title at the 2024 French Open.

Ahmet Kaplan is a Turkish wheelchair tennis player who competes in the quad class of international level events.

The quad singles wheelchair tennis tournament at the 2024 Paralympic Games in France was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris from 31 August to 5 September 2024.

The quad doubles wheelchair tennis tournament at the 2024 Paralympic Games in France will be held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris from 30 August to 4 September 2024.

Mogapeng is a village in the municipality of Greater Tzaneen, Mopani District, Limpopo, South Africa. As of the 2011 Census, it has a population of 2,702 and an area of 2.80 square kilometres (1.08 sq mi).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Donald Ramphadi Wheelchair Tennis Singles Overview". ITF. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Donald Ramphadi Wheelchair Tennis Doubles Overview". ITF. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "RAMPHADI Donald". Paris 2024 Paralympics . Retrieved 1 September 2024. (alternate link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Solms, Leonard (5 July 2023). "Can Donald Ramphadi win Wimbledon in a secondhand wheelchair?". ESPN.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  5. "Donald Ramphadi Wheelchair Tennis Doubles Activity". ITF. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  6. 1 2 Strydom, Marc (4 September 2024). "Sithole and Ramphadi add Team SA's fourth medal at Roland-Garros". Times Live. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  7. "Schroder / Vink vs Ramphadi / Sithole Results". Paris 2024 Paralympics. IOC. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  8. 1 2 Hemmonsbey, Keanan (25 January 2023). "South Africa's Donald Ramphadi reaches Quad Wheelchair Double Australian Open final". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  9. McLean, Ross. "'I am carrying the South African flag on my shoulders'". ITF. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  10. McLean, Ross. "Sithole, Ramphadi: Africa has first Paralympic wheelchair tennis medal". ITF. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 4 September 2024.